Instead of pranks this April Fool’s Day, Honest joined Food Forward in jamming class. There, we prepared artisanal strawberry and blueberry jam to help the social enterprise arm of the organization. All proceeds from the sale of these preserves support Food Forward’s mission of reconnecting to our food system and creating change around excess food and urban hunger in Southern California. Our goal was to “Harvest Food. Fight Hunger. Build Community” on this Jamming occasion.
Harvest Food. The two jam recipes we made called for blueberries, strawberries, and lemon juice. Instead of buying these at the grocery store, we followed Food Forward’s approach to use “seconds.” Seconds is the term used by the produce industry to refer to fruits and vegetables that will generally go to waste due to over-ripeness or over-abundance. This produce is often thrown into the trash even though it is still perfectly safe to eat. The Food Forward team collected our blueberries and strawberries from the leftovers at our local farmers’ market and procured the lemons from one of their backyard harvests.
Fight Hunger. These ingredients were then mixed with sugar, cooked, and bottled to turn into an all-natural jam, which would be sold to support Food Forward’s effort of redistributing over-abundant food to local people in need. Our artisanal jams will soon be available as a limited-edition batch for sale as part of Food Forward’s Mother’s Day fundraising campaign.
Build Community. Our Honest team gathered at the Gourmandise School in Santa Monica to learn these jamming skills from a culinary expert, Chef Clemence Gossett. Side-by-side we prepared and cooked the ingredients while learning about preventing food waste.
To share the sweetness of giving back, here are the recipes we made with Chef Clemence:
Strawberry Jam (yields about 18 4-ounce jars)
Ingredients
- 4 pounds strawberries
- 2 1/2 lbs sugar
- 4 ounces fresh lemon juice
- 2 ounces lemon juice, reserved
Directions
1. Place the strawberries, sugar, and 4 ounces of lemon juice in a large saucepan (at least 12 quarts). Cook over medium heat until it begins to simmer and foam.
2. Once the mixture begins to foam, turn the heat up and stir continuously for about 20 minutes. Strain strawberries and add it in about 15 minutes into the cooking process. If you feel any sticking, turn your heat down.
3. Once a thick jam has developed, add in the remaining lemon juice and stir for 5 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
5. Pour into hot, sterilized jars.
6. Immediately put a lid on clean, filled jars.
7. Place jars in a pot of boiling water so the water is at least 2” above the lid of the jar. Boil for 10 minutes and then remove.
8. Safely pick up the jars, careful not to tip them sideways, and place on a towel-lined counter or cookie sheet.
9. Once cooled, put in your cupboard for 6-9 months.
Blueberry Jam (yields about 5 8-ounce jars)
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. blueberries
- 1 lb. 8 ounces sugar
- 5 ounces fresh lemon juice
Directions
1. Place the blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a large saucepan (at least 12 quarts). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until your mixture thickens just slightly. Continue cooking for another 2 minutes.
2. Turn your heat up and stir constantly as the mixture begins to simmer. Once it reached a boil, turn the heat to medium and continue stirring another 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
4. Pour into hot, sterilized jars.
6. Immediately put a lid on clean jars.
7. Place jars in a pot of boiling water so the water is at least 2” above the lid of the jar. Boil for 10 minutes and then remove.
8. Safely pick up the jars, careful not to tip them sideways, and place on a towel-lined counter or cookie sheet.
9. Once cooled, put in your cupboard for 6-9 months.
And, of course, enjoy them on toast, with a scone, or in a tasty sandwich!
Learn more about Food Forward and how you can get involved.
We aim to provide you with the most honest and credible information possible. This article was reviewed for accuracy by The Honest Team and was written based on trusted sources that are linked at the bottom of the article.
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